Chapter 17
Nina
“Are you feeling better? Just breathe,” I heard Cole’s deep calming voice in my ear, as he pressed me to himself. My hands were shaking as I held on to his arms. I was still in shock.
“You’re burning up,” he said and something switched on in me, and I lashed out at him with my fists. I pushed against his chest, snapping away from his arms and I stumbled as I stepped back. He had led me to the back of the venue and now he had his back pressed up against a brick wall. Darkness shrouded us. Only a dim streetlight at the end of the parking lot illuminated his face. His gray eyes sparkled in that light, and his brows were crossed.
“Leave me alone! Why are you doing this to me?” I shrieked, unbothered by who could hear us. In the stillness, my voice carried far but I didn’t care.
“You looked like you were going to faint. I had to do something,” he said and I shook my head wildly.
“Why did you book us? You did it on purpose. Why are you doing this?” I cried, clenching my fists. Thankfully, Cole kept his distance. He didn’t make a move towards me.
“I knew it was the only way I could see you again,” he said in a low deep voice, that made me stop for a moment. Just his voice had that affect on me. I could feel my cheeks burning up, my hair coming undone. I glared at him, my eyes adjusting slowly in the dark now.
“Why did you want to see me? You signed the papers. It’s over now,” I screeched and Cole pursed his lips.
“I wanted to see you because it’s over. You can’t blame me for it any more,” he replied and I pressed my mouth close. My breasts heaving with the heavy breaths I was taking. Cole looked unimaginably handsome in his tuxedo. His muscles rippling under the smooth cuts of his tailored clothes. He towered over me, and I knew he could lift me with just one hand and yet he didn’t intimidate me anymore.
“I have no idea what you’re saying,” I said and Cole took in a deep breath.
“Then let me explain it to you. You didn’t let me say a thing the last time we spoke. Will you please just listen?” he said and I gulped. I couldn’t believe how my body was reacting to him. Despite everything that had happened, I couldn’t stop myself from staring at that chiseled jaw, his broad shoulders, his shooting height. I remained silent.
“You were wrong about me and Rosalie, but you were right about a few things. Firstly, the wedding was a drunken mistake. It wasn’t a plan,” he said and I crossed my brows and shook my head. I couldn’t believe he was still denying it. What did he have left to gain from it now?
“Don’t just shake your head and dismiss what I’m saying, Nina. I have no reason to lie to you,” he said in a stern voice and I stopped, glaring at him again.
“When I met you that night at the wedding, I was attracted to you instantly. To your voice, to your singing and then to you. I wanted nothing more than to sleep with you, and after that was over, for the first time in my life, for some strange reason…I was desperate to keep you. I didn’t want you to leave,” he continued and my lips quivered. I didn’t want to believe what he was saying. I was resisting every temptation in my bones to just fling my arms around his neck and press my lips to his.
“And then we got very drunk. And I wasn’t lying, you were the one who suggested we get married. We had a connection and I felt it, even through my drunken haze. Of course it was a mistake, and it was a spur of the moment unwise decision…but I wasn’t trying to trick you,” he said. I couldn’t control myself anymore, I had to say something.
“But Rosalie…I heard you. You told me she was trying to make you jealous,” I said, in a much softer voice now.
“Yes, she was and she still is. And the only reason I told her about us, was to get rid of her. Not to make her jealous. I hoped that if she saw us together. If she thought we were actually married, then she’d leave me alone. I have no interest in making her jealous. I’m not even remotely attracted to her anymore,” he replied and I shook my head again.
“I don’t believe you,” I said and finally, he took a step towards me.
“I have no reason to lie to you. This is why I wanted to wait to speak to you, till after the annulment was done. I hoped that you would see that I have nothing to gain from you,” he said and he slid one hand out of the pocket of his pants and held it towards me. I stared at his hand, at his invitation and controlled my urges.
“I don’t believe that you see something special in me,” I blurted out and a soft smile started forming on Cole’s face.
“There isn’t anything special about me either. Other than my money. Or that was what I thought till I met you. You spent that night with me just because there was an attraction there. Not because you knew who I was or how much money I had. To you, marriage is important. A relationship means something very different,” he continued and I remained silent. His hand was still stretched out towards me. His eyes were kind, his lips were stretched in an encouraging smile.
“Nina, I’m not trying to trick you. I don’t know how else to make you see that I’m being truthful. Just give me a chance to prove myself to you,” he said and I felt my hands shake. Everything that I had hoped and dreamed of, Cole was making it come true but I didn’t know if I could trust him again. I had fallen for his charms once and look where it had got me!
“But our views on marriage, and relationships are very different. And I can’t be in a casual sexual relationship with you anymore. Not with anyone. Our shotgun wedding made me see things more clearly,” I told him and silently, Cole nodded his head.
“Yes, our views are different…were different. And I apologize for being so harsh about it. I have always been cynical about things like this. Marriage in my circle of friends and family has meant nothing. I never thought it was necessary or important,” he said and took another step towards me.
“So, what are you saying?” I asked him, looking up at his face. Our eyes were locked, our mouths only inches away from each other now.
“I’m saying that for the first time in my life, I want to give this a shot. With you. I want to try and have a meaningful relationship. I haven’t felt this connection with anyone before and I want to explore it. I don’t want to think lightly of love or marriage,” he said and his breath fell strongly on my face. I was in a dream again, none of this was real. It couldn’t be.
“I don’t know if I can trust you. I don’t know if I can believe all these things you’re saying,” I said, my voice shuddering with every word. I could feel my brain imploding silently.
“Let me prove myself to you then, Nina. Let me show you how badly I want you,” he said and I licked my lips.
Cole took that as his cue and bent his face towards me. He gave me a moment to pull away, but I didn’t. I couldn’t. And then his lips met mine. He drowned my moan with his mouth and used his tongue to part my lips. His tongue was inside my mouth, exploring every crevice, every bend and his hands sought out my neck. I could feel his large, warm hands around my throat, gently holding me in place as we explored each others mouths.
I bunched up the front of his shirt, tugging him closer to me. We were breathless. We were going wild with passion for each other. No matter what I had convinced myself of these past few weeks, my desire for Cole had gone nowhere. He was still the only man I wanted inside me.
“I want to make love to you tonight, Nina. I want to possess you as rightfully mine,” he growled into my ear when he pulled away from me. And who was I to deny a man that?